Desktop Sticky Notes

An Obsidian desktop-only plugin that opens real Markdown files in resizable sticky-note popout windows.

Commands

• Create sticky note — creates a Markdown file in the configured folder and opens it.
• Open sticky note for current file — opens the active Markdown file as a sticky note.
• Hide sticky note for current file — closes all sticky-note windows for the active file.
• Set current file as top-level sticky note — designates the active Markdown file as the top-level note.
• Toggle top-level sticky note — opens the designated note, brings it forward when it is behind another window, or hides it when it is already focused. It safely does nothing when no valid top-level file exists.

Each sticky-note window has controls for keeping it above other applications, selecting a color, switching between edit and reading views, and hiding it. Window contents are the underlying Obsidian Markdown file, so edits and previews stay in sync with the vault.

[!NOTE] On Linux, Keep on top works when Obsidian runs under X11 or XWayland. Electron does not support the required always-on-top window state under native Wayland, so the pin control cannot change window stacking in a native Wayland session.

Settings

• Default notes folder — where newly created sticky-note files are stored; defaults to the vault root.
• Default note color — the initial background color for notes without a saved custom color.
• Global toggle shortcut — toggles the top-level sticky note even when Obsidian is in the background. Click the recorder and press the desired combination, or clear it to disable the shortcut. The default is Win+F10 on Windows, Super+F10 on Linux, and Option+F10 on macOS. The plugin stores this setting separately for each operating system, so syncing a vault between computers does not translate one platform's shortcut into another platform's keys.
• Top-level note — the Markdown file controlled by the toggle command and global shortcut.

Installation

Copy manifest.json, main.js, and styles.css into:

<vault>/.obsidian/plugins/desktop-sticky-notes/

Then enable Desktop Sticky Notes under Obsidian's community-plugin settings. This plugin requires the desktop version of Obsidian.

Permissions and privacy

Desktop Sticky Notes uses Obsidian's Electron APIs to manage popout windows and register the optional system-wide shortcut. It only creates or edits Markdown files inside your vault through the Obsidian API. It does not access files outside the vault, make network requests, collect telemetry, or send data anywhere.

License

Desktop Sticky Notes is available under the MIT License.